Abstract

The tourism industry has been significantly influenced by the development of Information and Communication Technologies (Icts), among them the electronic Word-Of-Mouth (e-Wom) plays an important role allowing users to provide online opinions about their experience as tourists. Hotels are the tour operators most concerned by this application from which they can get feedback and exploit the information generated to improve management and results. This research, through an empirical study from which 136 questionnaires completed by Italian hotel owners and directors were obtained, aims to add value through the study of the e-Wom as a managerial tool, deepening the perspective of hotel managers regarding this application. The analysis of the results shows differences based on the interviewee's profile and the hotel characteristics that allow interesting considerations on the topic.